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Campaigners call for a latte levy in Wales

Submitted by Kirsty Luff on Sep 17th

Friends of the Earth Cymru, who are calling for a small charge on single use drinks cups, presented their petition this morning (Tuesday 17th September 2019) to Welsh Government Deputy Minister Hannah Blythyn AM.

“Introducing a 25p charge would encourage people to use refillable cups and flasks, reducing litter and drastically reducing the use of takeaway cups in circulation.

“Charging for single use cups is the next step in our journey towards zero waste and it will also help prevent climate breakdown. Introducing a latte levy is one of the easier things we can do to reduce our use of plastics and paper, which leads to climate-changing emissions. So let’s perk up our action on plastics, make this work for us in Wales and show once again that we can lead the way.”

“Awareness has been growing about the impact of single use plastics to our environment in recent years and Keep Wales Tidy believes that reduction and prevention must be at the heart of our efforts to stem the flow of litter at source. A latte levy could raise significant funds for Wales and could be the crucial nudge needed to remind people to bring their own cups.”

A report for the Welsh Government by independent consultancy Eunomiaestimate that a 25p charge or tax on single use cups filled at the point of sale in Wales, together with a mandatory take back system in coffee shops, could reduce the numbers of these cups by around 30% and generate around £97m a year, which could then be used to tackle other waste problems in Wales and create jobs at the same time.